Book Review: Everything Changes

Posted inBooks
After reading three of Jonathan Tropper's books, I could not wait to find the fight scene in "Everything Changes," his 2005 release. After all, a brawl came up somewhere in…

Goodbye to a Righteous Dude

Posted inColumns, Movies

Like most of my friends growing up, I went to private school all the way through high school. I never got to appreciate the concept of wearing comfortable clothes to class until I got to college.

I thankfully had a very important window into life at public schools, however. For better or for worse, everything I ever learned about public education came from John Hughes movies.

Hughes died on Thursday, leaving a legacy of pop culture which extends far beyond teaching private school kids like me that sometimes you were graded in gym for very important dances and the true meaning of the Laffer Curve and voodoo economics.

I’m a Weiner

Posted inWriting
A fellow PR guy in Baltimore has started a web site called Weekly Writing Assignment. The premise is simple - he puts out a writing contest every week and shares…

Porch Rat

Posted inColumns

I have two distinct memories of the first time we saw the house we now live in. Maria and I had spent the day looking at some houses we didn’t really like before we headed to the final house on our tour.

I will never forget how I felt when I saw an entire wall of built-in bookshelves in the living room. Both of us love books, and that feature really stood out. We have taken advantage of that space over the years.

But the other thing I remember hit me as soon as we got out of the car. The house had a huge porch shaded by two big trees.

Jackpot.

Book Review: Downtown Owl

Posted inBooks
Bill Simmons gets the credit for this one. I had heard Chuck Klosterman's name before, but really didn't know much about him. Then I heard Simmons, aka The Sports Guy…

Book Review: Election

Posted inBooks
I don't know why I hadn't gotten around to reading "Election" by Tom Perrotta until recently. I had read "The Wishbones" and "Joe College," his two funny books which bookended…

My New Career Goals

Posted inBeach, Columns

Once again, I have stumbled up on a tremendous skill I possess with little chance to actually support my family pursuing it as a career.

We recently completed my family’s annual beach vacation. For the first time in a long while, we rented a beach house just for the three of us.

In past years, we had split a place with one of my older brothers. A number of issues ranging from the incompatibility of having 20-somethings and an 8-year-old staying at the same house to some problems with the house itself made us realize everyone would be better served with separate quarters.

So I spent a while over the winter perusing web sites to try and find a place small enough and affordable enough for us, but with the comforts that make beach week extra special.

I found a place and made the reservation based only on the photos I could find on the realtor’s web site. Sure, I wanted more assurance, but didn’t really have the opportunity to drive to Delaware to peek into these places.

If I had, I might have seen my new career several months ago. I stumbled upon it instead after we got settled our first night at the beach.

I should open a business where I give rich people advice on how to set up the vacation homes they rent to others.

After all, who knows what regular people want in a beach house better – some guy who uses it as an investment or a schlub like me who likes to pretend he’s living large for one week out of the year.